College Softball
MAINE vs. MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
Time, site: Friday, 3 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. (2), UMBC Softball Stadium, Catonsville, Maryland
Records: UMaine 13-18 (7-1 America East); UMBC 19-22 (3-5)
Series, last meeting: UMaine leads 25-15, UMaine 6-0 on 5/7/16
Key players: Maine — CF Rachel Carlson (.367-0 home runs-9 runs batted in, 18 runs scored, 12 stolen bases), C Rachel Harvey (.344-2-17), 3B Alyssa Derrick (.286-10-26), RF Meghan Royle (.270-3-13), LF Erika Leonard (.264-3-19, 21 runs), SS Felicia Lennon (.261-0-3); UMBC — SS Maddie Daigneau (.406-1-17, 13 SBs), 3B Kaelin Jackson (.286-6-22), 1B Toni Santonastasso (.265-3-14), RF Kelly Lane (.259-3-17), DP Carly Lesko (.255-5-17)
Pitching matchups: UMaine — LH Erin Bogdanovich (4-7, 4.76 earned run average), RH Molly Flowers (4-7, 5.56), RH Annie Kennedy (5-3, 3.94, 2 saves); UMBC — RH Kim Puccio (9-7, 2.43, 2 sv.), LH Jessica Holte (5-8, 4.55), LH Nicole Casagrand (3-3, 4.06)
Game notes: America East leader UMaine has won four in a row and 10 of its last 11. Derrick has been on a tear, hitting .536 with 14 RBIs in the last nine games. She has homered in three straight including a two-run, two-out homer in a four-run seventh inning rally that supplied UMaine with a 5-4 win over Holy Cross on Wednesday. Derrick was the America East Player of the Week. UMBC has five victories in its last seven games and is coming off a 1-2 weekend at Albany. UMaine is 10-5 all time at UMBC. UMBC has the best team ERA (3.53) in America East. Bogdanovich was the Pitcher of the Week after going 2-1 with a 0.84 ERA last week.